Star date: 25th May 2015

BIRDWATCHING CRUISE AROUND SALFORD QUAYS

Birdwatching Cruise and Salford Docklands Launch
Saturday 30th May 8am £11

The Salford Docklands Project aims to encourage people to take an interest in the heritage and wildlife of the old dock area on the Quays, and it's formally launching on Saturday May 30th with a Birwatching Cruise, spotting rare birds while learning about the heritage and ecology of the docklands.

Full details here...

Back in the day, Salford Docks was pure industrial but since they closed in 1982, birdwatchers began to recognise the old docklands as a top birdwatching site, and over 120 species have been recorded at the site - including Ferruginous Duck, Pomarine Skua, Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, Iceland Gull, Arctic Tern, Little Ringed Plover, Short-eared Owl, Raven, Little Egret, Pink-footed Goose, Egyptian Goose, Kittiwake, Greater Scaup and Common Scoter.

Now, the Salford Docklands Project is being launched next Saturday, 30th May, to encourage interest in, and promote, the wildlife, environment and heritage of the area.

"Salford people are proud of the industrial heritage of Salford Docks, and although there have been some projects that have acknowledged the dockers, such as Unlocking The Quays, many people still don't even know that Salford Quays used to be a working docks and that the dockers gave blood, sweat and tears to this country" says Peter Hughes, Chairman of the Salford Docklands Heritage and Nature Group.

The launch takes place with a two hour Birdwatching Cruise around the Quays aboard the Princess Katherine, led by an expert from Greater Manchester Local Record Centre. It will be an opportunity to birdwatch and take photos from the ship, while learning about the industrial and environmental surroundings. And this is followed by a Heritage and Nature Tour on foot from 10am-1:30pm.

"The Salford Docklands Project is a social enterprise peoples' project – with Salford becoming a social enterprise city and more and more people loving the heritage and wildlife of the area, now is the perfect time to launch this project" says James Walsh, one of the originators of the Manchester Ship Canal World Heritage Group.

Birdwatching Cruise and Salford Docklands Launch
Saturday 30th May 8am-10am £11

Departure point: the left of The Lowry footbridge on The Lowry side of Salford Quays – bring own binoculars.

For more info and booking details – click here

There's also a Heritage and Nature Tour on foot from 10am-1:30pm

Photo by Steven Burke